The Miami Heat have ben active this offseason and now they have a very strong roster that should compete with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference Championship. The Heat have 14 players that are virtual locks to make the team but that fifteenth spot is up for grabs. James Ennis was considered someone that was likely to make the team earlier this offseason but not that is nowhere near a guarantee anymore, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Ennis has had a very disappointing offseason including a bad summer league showing where he claimed that he didn't feel like he was getting any better. Ennis will be in training camp with the Heat but he will have a lot to prove as his salary of more than $800,000 will become guaranteed on October 28 so if he doesn't prove he belongs by then he will likely be cut.
The Heat will be bringing 19 players to training camp as of right now although they are looking at other players for that 20th spot. Players 16-19 are reportedly considered D-League players who don't have much of a shot of making the Heat's roster but it is possible Greg Whittington or one of the other training camp invitees could make such a good impression that they force their way onto the roster over Ennis.
Another possible scenario that would leave Ennis off the 15 man roster would be the if the Heat decide to leave a spot open or if they want to sign another veteran. Carlos Boozer, Will Bynum, Ben Gordon and others are still free agents so if the Heat decide that Ennis isn't proving enough in training camp they could sign one of those veterans to that final spot.
Ennis is 25 years old and is coming off a somewhat productive rookie campaign for the Heat but he hasn't shown the improvement they were hoping for and the Heat are built to win now so they may not be able to carry Ennis on their deep roster. In 62 games as a rookie a year ago Ennis averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17 minutes per game while making 33 percent of his three pointers.
If Ennis is cut another team that doesn't have as deep a roster as Miami will likely give him a shot as he has great athleticism and he proved last season he could play at the NBA level. Ennis may be having a bad offseason but he still is a talented individual who could possibly develop into something.
